


Layers

by MHoult92



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Earthquakes, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Los Angeles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:26:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4225266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MHoult92/pseuds/MHoult92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Louis. Louis and Harry. Everything that was right in the world. </p><p>That is, until their world begins to literally crumble around them.</p><p>Will Louis make it to his love in time? Will Harry fight against the ever growing defeat within him?</p><p>There were only so many things they had control over...earthquakes in Los Angeles in December was not one of them. The boys are all left fighting for not only their lives but their very will to keep fighting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Layers

Tour was hard enough. 

Tour after three straight years of tour was even harder. 

As much as five certain boys enjoyed doing it, they enjoyed their time off just as much. And sure enough, three years of doing ‘it’ had begun taking its toll on all of the boys.

Two members in particular were facing some of most difficult of their lives, little did they know it was only about to get harder…

\-----

“Haz! Hazza bear! Where are you? I’ve got some EPIC news mate, just wai- Whoa! What is all this?” Louis trailed as he walked into the kitchen to find his boyfriend preparing a candlelit table.

“Louis? Louis, what are you doing here?! I told you to stay out with the boys today!”

“We were out for two hours babe, how much longer were we supposed to be gone?”

“I told you I would let you know when to come back…” Harry stated, visibly growing angrier by the minute.

“But Harr-“

“NO LOUIS, not this time! I am so fucking tired of you doing this, I told you I had something planned and now it’s going to be ruined.”

“When did you te-?”

“Jesus Christ Louis, are you seriously about to ask me when I told you about this?”

“Well if you’d LET ME FUCKING TALK!”

“Oh how dare I actually speak over Louis fucking Tomlinson for once in his life…”

“Wow Harry, real mature. How about you come find me when you’ve grown up? Where the hell is this even coming from?”

“You are not seriously turning this back on me?”

“’Oh how dare I actually make it look like Harry fucking Styles did something wrong for once in his life’, or some shit like that…”

“Lou…I told you I was planning something special tonight for us…”

“And? Last time I checked it’s MY fucking birthday and MY fucking plans!”

“EXACTLY! Plans YOU agreed to let ME plan this time around!”

“1) When did I ever say that? 2) What do you think we’re doing in the outskirts of Los Angeles when we should be home? IN LONDON? That was all YOUR IDEA!”

“Oh Lou…”

“Don’t patronize me Harry, just get on with whatever it is up your ass and move on.”

Harry’s mouth dropped at this and really, it had been like this for so long it had almost become normal. Their relationship that was already so fragile from the start thanks to media perception was now balancing even more precariously. 

Their relationship that once was the only thing that made sense to him no longer did so, their conversations making even less sense as they always ended up in a fight.

Exactly where they found themselves now. Harry felt something for the first time in nearly 5 years that scared him more than anything in the world.

Doubt. Doubt in his relationship, doubt in Louis, doubt in the one thing he held on to so tightly that now it felt like it was crumbling beneath him.

“You know what Louis, I think I’ll do just that…since it seems the only pain in my ass around here is YOU.”

It was Louis’ turn to be shocked as he watched Harry’s eyes tear up with an unidentifiable emotion and blow out all the candles before stalking past him through the door. Before he could even gather his thoughts and barely make it to the kitchen entrance Harry’s form was quickly retreating to their room and slamming the door.

Louis was bothered by that single moment of emotion. What was that? 

Fear? No…

Doubt? Not quite…

Defeat? Yeah, that seemed more like it.

Why did Harry suddenly look so defeated? He wasn’t giving up on them was he? 

After all these years was this how they were destined to end?

And wait? Did Louis really just question himself and think they were destined to end?

Louis found himself so lost in his thoughts that he barely caught the motion out of the corner of his eye as Harry came back…with a bag slung over his shoulder. 

“Harry…? Wh-what are you doing?” 

Louis was only met with silence as Harry put his boots on and grabbed his keys. He suddenly set down his bag and walked back over to Louis slowly. Louis nervously tried to catch Harry’s eye but Harry suddenly kissed him with tentative passion before pulling back and seemingly searching Louis’ face before turning back around and heading away.

Harry picked up his bag again and turned around to look at him one last time.

“Goodbye Lou.”

\-----

“Louis, mate, you have to tell us what’s going on? Where’s Harry? Why is the kitchen a mess?!” Liam exclaimed, finding the smashed plates and glasses.

Louis couldn’t even bring himself to process the last hour. Harry had left.

Harry had left him. 

Had Harry really left him? On his birthday?

Zayn was cautiously watching as Louis’ thoughts raced and emotions flickered across his face. 

Niall was simply holding Louis to him the best he possibly could as Louis cried out every ounce of pain that threatened to squeeze his heart to death.

Louis wanted to hate Harry, he really did. How could he just so suddenly give up that way? Give up on them? Give up on their relationship?

Give up on him? 

Earlier Louis couldn’t think of any possible way Harry could hold something over him, he had done nothing wrong. But now, he thought of anything and everything he could have done wrong.

Did he not tell Harry he loved him enough? Had he not been around for him enough? Had Harry been having doubts all along?

He had thought of running after Harry so many times but the boys were now holding him hostage in the emptiest home he had ever known, telling him maybe it was better to let him cool off. 

Louis couldn’t even find it in himself to calm down though. He only grew angrier the longer he was forced to relive the memory of Harry’s haunted face and their bittersweet last moment.

No, he wouldn’t let Harry win this one. 

Suddenly the house began shaking and all of the boys were shaken from their thoughts with it. The shaking stopped almost as soon as it began but each boy looked just as confused as the other.

“What the fuck was that?” Niall quickly asked.

“Something about static activity, shit, I don’t know. They’ve been talking about it on the telly lately.”

“You mean seismic activity?” Zayn interjected.

“I don’t know, who gives a fuck.”

“Louis, no offense mate but maybe we should find Harry after all, I have a bad feeling…” Liam nervously stated.

“Lads, we’re going out. Now.” 

“But Loui-“ 

“Nope, shut up. We’re going out. Just like WE planned.”

The lads, confused as ever, took the lead knowing there was no way to talk him out of this one and having no clue what was going on anyway. Harry was gone, phone turned off, and halfway across town at this point in the arms of his best friend Ed.

\-----

“Harry, bud, wake up” Ed spoke, gently shaking the younger lad in his arms.

“Mmmm, what’s going on?” Harry rasped out after passing out hours earlier.

“I hate to leave you but my flight is going to be leaving in a few hours…I best head out. Are you sure I can’t convince you to come with me? It might be nice to go home for a while.”

“I appreciate it Ed, really, but I just need some time to myself. Just promise me one thing?”

“Yeah, mate, anything?”

“Don’t tell my mum or Gem, or anyone really. I think it’s best if they think everything is alright…”

“Not to burst your bubble you idiot but I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility.”

“Why…?”

“Just, go on Twitter if you really want to kn-“ Ed was cut off by his own beginning to shake…again.

“-ow. Damn, Haz, you really sure you want to stay here? Those tremors have only been getting worse lately…” 

“Oh shut up you sod, I’ll be fine. If anything falls I’ll clean it up, you know that. It’s not like anything is going to happen.”

“Seriously Harry, just come back with me. Please?” Ed pleaded as another quick tremor struck the house.

“Ed, I’ll be okay. I really appreciate you letting me stay here while you’re gone…”

“Not like I could have stopped you, you do have a damn KEY after all.” Ed cut off in chuckles as Harry threw a pillow at his face.

“Alright, alright. Go get your stuff so you can go.”

“I really don’t understand why you don’t just stay with one of the other lads…”

“I just want to be on my own, honestly. I love the boys but maybe it’s just time for a break?”

“If you say so Harry, but if you change your mind the flight leaves in 3 hours…”

“Just go Ed, send the family all my love and make sure you don’t get lost this time.”

“One fucking time Harry…are you EVER going to let that go?” Ed laughed as he finally stood and left the room. 

Harry’s curiosity finally got the best of him and he opened up his Twitter app on his laptop seeing instantly what Ed was talking about.

Louis.

His Louis.

Grinding on random people in a club with the lads all smiling and laughing all around him. He could faintly see ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUIS’ banners in the background and a slew of celebrities in attendance. 

So a surprise party in a club was better than the romantic evening he had planned to follow up with sex. 

Lots of sex.

Instead he was hear alone, feeling the low trembling of the house shaking again and a pit of anxiety growing in his stomach.

He couldn’t deal with this right now so he shut off his laptop and threw it next to his still turned off phone that was sure to be blowing up with messages at his disappearance.

Instead of spending the night with the man of his dreams next to him he was curled up alone on a couch and falling into a restless sleep.

Harry could still feel THE box in his skinny jeans, burning a hole all the way to his heart. 

The box that held the very thing he had spent months planning and designing to perfection. The box that now held a dream fading almost as fast as he was.

Louis’ very own engagement ring.

\-----

Hours, is all Louis could think. They had spent HOURS in this club and he had only really been able to think of Harry despite the lively party around him.

To Louis, it might as well have been a lifetime.

Of course people had asked him all night where Harry was but he fought off the questions with more drinks and empty laughter. 

Of course he knew where Harry was, tucked away at Ed’s house but considering Ed had been papped walking into LAX a mere hour earlier (which Louis DEFINITELY didn’t know because he was constantly checking his phone) he knew Harry was alone.

It wasn’t until an hour later that the very building they were in began to shake with a ferocity unlike any other.

The building didn’t shake with the bass of music or the feet of thousands of people but with a growl that seemed to come from depths beneath their feet. The lights began flickering plunging them all into darkness and a quiet everyone was afraid to shatter as the shaking continued. 

Glass could be heard breaking, most likely from behind the bar, before the shaking settled again and everyone regained their balance after crouching down. 

It wasn’t until a backup generator kicked in that Louis and the other lads gathered their surroundings. They checked one another over before seeing several people pull the bleeding bartender from behind the bar. Glass covered the floor in every direction making their exit incredibly difficult as many began to panic.

The telly finally flickered to life, halting their actions, and the man closest was quick to change it to a news station. 

To say the scene before them was horrific was putting it lightly.

The very quake they felt was nothing but a side effect of an earthquake that had crumbled the other side of the city.

They stations began deploying helicopter news crews as ground crews were too dangerous and filmed the panicked running of those trying to evacuate, entire subdivisions on fire, cars overturned and buildings crumbling to their very foundation.

The boys, nor anyone around them, could believe that this was real. In fact, for a while almost no one did until the building began to ominously shake again and they were left running for the doors. 

Everyone made it out but one image was left burned into Louis’ mind as the camera crew had panned over a section of Los Angeles he knew all too well. A section that housed none other than Ed’s luxurious home which might very well be left in ruins right now.

Trapped in the belly of it, his Harry.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own One Direction, this is purely a work of fiction (at least I hope the earthquake part never comes true)!
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated and if there is anything I can do for any of you, just shoot me a message! :) You are all beautiful people!


End file.
